Memoria
by o0BlackCat0o
Summary: This story takes place before Haru met his beloved Kuroyukihime and became a Burst Linker, and is dedicated to anyone who has lost a loved one to terminal illness. (Disclaimer: I do not own Accel World.)
1. Prologue

**New fanfic! Yay! I only have the prologue written thus far, but I'll continue writing when I finish my other story. I just want to know what you guys think as readers. Let me know if you think I should continue. Like it says in the description, this story is dedicated to anyone who has lost a loved one to a terminal illness (or in any other way, really). If you can relate to this story, my heart goes out to you and I hope one day you can find peace and comfort in the absence of your loved one. Either way, I hope you enjoy reading this story. **

Memoria

Haru lead Kuroyukihime into the local graveyard. She looked around at the field littered with gravestones both old and new. In the daytime, it seemed to have a nostalgic, sorrowful feel about it. This, as she knew was where people came to remember their loved ones that had left them to pass on. She followed Haru further inwards. He wouldn't say exactly why he was coming here, but she didn't want to pry. When someone says they're going to a grave site and they don't give a specific reason, usually that's their way of saying either "I don't want to talk about it" or "You'll find out soon enough." Considering he had asked her personally to go with him, she supposed it was the latter of the two.

Finally, Haru stopped in front of a grave stone. He wouldn't say anything for a while at first. Kuroyukihime came over to his side and looked at the name of the person that rested there:

_Kathryn Kole_

Now she was beginning to understand, but she still had questions. She recognized the name from somewhere, but where? Did Haru know this girl? Was that why he was here? If not, then why _was_ he here?

Finally, after a while of staring down at the gravestone, Haru spoke. "This is her… Kat."

Kuroyukihime looked at him, a little surprised. So, he did know her. "Was she a friend of yours?"

Haru was silent again, as if thinking of an answer. "Yes. A very good friend…" He looked up at her with saddened eyes as the memories came back to him. "I thought you should know about her."

Kuroyukihime nodded with understanding. "What was she like?"

Haru looked back at her gravestone. "She was an interesting person. She was always there for me, just like you are now. Sometimes, you remind me of her." He knelt down, eye level with the name on the stone. "I wanted to come and visit her, since today's the first anniversary since… since she's been gone."

Kuroyukihime knelt with him. "How did you meet her?"

Haru smiled a little at the fond memory. "It was a few years ago, before I met you…"


	2. Chapter 1

I was on my way to fourth period, and it was already a long day. I forgot that my essay was due in language arts, I understood next to nothing in math, and on top of that, I was exhausted from staying up late studying for a test in history. Then again, it wasn't like I really enjoyed school that much anyway, so it was more of a routine day. Get up, go to school, and get it over with. That was my typical routine.

I was only half asleep while I was walking down the hall, when I realized I was going to the wrong class! I only had two minutes to get to the right class, which (as luck would have it) was all the way at the other end of the school on the lower level! I bolted off in the other direction. I ran into a few people, but I didn't have time to apologize. I felt bad, but I was in a serious rush. I had just gotten to the staircase, when I slipped on the second step and went tumbling down the rest of the way. My leg hit one of the steps, and I heard a sickening _crack!_ as pain shot through my shin. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally hit the bottom floor, landing on my face. My leg hurt, and I knew that there would be a bruise on the left side of my face later. I tried to get to my feet, but my leg couldn't handle the weight, so I ended up collapsing onto the floor again.

I was humiliated. I was in pain. Of course, to my schoolmates, this was some sort of entertainment for them. I heard their jokes and snickerings as they passed by. Some even stayed a while to laugh at the loser who lay sprawled across the floor. At this point, being late was the last of my worries. I admit, I felt the heat of tears prickle to my eyes, but I refused to let them see. I refused to let them enjoy this any further than they already did.

"Seriously! You losers have nothing better to do?"

I was startled as I looked up at the one who spoke up in my defense. It was a face I recognized, but hadn't actually known. I knew her as the girl who had just moved in from America. None of us really knew why. All I knew was that she spent most of her lunches eating alone. I had always meant to talk to her, just to say "hi", but I was always too nervous. What if she rejected me like all the rest?

She looked down at me and smiled. I noticed she had big, bright, sky-blue eyes, the kind that you couldn't miss if you were ever in a conversation or something with her. She extended a hand to me. "Hey, you ok?"

This had to be a joke. I knew she didn't really care, or at least I thought she didn't. I avoided her gaze and tried in vain to get up again. "I'm fine." I leaned on the wall as I limped down the hallway. The bell had long past rung, but better late than never, right?

But she was persistent. She put her arm under mine and encouraged me to lean on her. "Hey, that looks like it hurts… C'mon, we should get you to the nurse, 'kay?"

I was a little shocked. Her smile was genuine. This wasn't an act, or just something she was doing to make her feel good about herself. She felt sorry for me, and she wanted to help me. Not too many others had done that for me before. I gave in and leaned on her as we both headed off for the infirmary. "Hey, won't you be late for class?"

"Yeah, but I never really cared much for math anyway. Besides, how are you planning to get around yourself?"

I couldn't ignore that goofy smile of hers. Her brown, curly hair bounced as she walked, and to my surprise, she spoke fluent Japanese. I recognized her from my fifth period biology, but I never really talked to her much, much less even knew her name. What was it? Katrina? Katie? Something with a "K"…

After a while, we got to the infirmary. She walked me in and helped me sit up on one of the beds, then sat down next to me. The nurse was on a call or something, so we waited together. Although, I did feel a little uncomfortable with a girl I didn't even know… She just sort of sat there, swinging her legs and gazing around the room. I didn't want to just outright tell her to leave, but it was kind of odd to be in a room alone with a strange girl. I cleared my throat to try to get her attention. "Um… Y-you're kind of late for class by now, aren't you?"

She grinned at me again. "Like I said, it's no problem. I can miss that class for all I care."

"Is… that the only reason you walked me here then?"

Her smile faded a little. "No… I felt really bad that those kids were just standing around laughing at you. It was really mean, and I wanted to do something about it."

"Well… I mean, why?" _Why would you care about the fat kid no one notices unless they need to threaten someone for lunch money?_

She looked at her shoes, like she was sad. "Because… I know what it's like."

Huh? She knew? Now that I thought about it, any time I saw her in the halls or at lunch, she was always alone. She did just move here, after all. I guess it would be natural that she didn't know anyone. Besides that, there were all sorts of rumors about her being some dumb foreigner who didn't know anything about us. Maybe…

She smiled at me again. "I'm sorry. Not the best way to make a friend, right? I didn't even tell you my name yet! Anyway, I'm Kathryn Kole. But most people just call me 'Kat'."

That was her name! Kathryn! I knew I heard it once before. I gave her a timid smile back. "I'm Haru."

She nodded, like she was taking it in. "Haru… Short for something?"

"Haruyuki Arita."

Her smile grew. "Cool! I like it."

She didn't stop smiling. We sat and talked for a while. It turned out that she liked video games a lot like me, though we both liked different genres. We both liked hanging out in the virtual world, getting away from reality. She was a little random in the way she talked. It was like her mind bounced around from one thing to the next. It was a little hard to keep up, but she was fun to talk to. She was funny that way.

By the time the nurse came in, it seemed like we had been talking for an hour. She smiled at me again. "Well, see ya around, kid." She hopped off the bed and headed for the door.

"Uh… Hey, Kat?"

She stopped at the door. "Hm?"

What was I supposed to say? I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the words to form the idea. She just kept looking at me with those big blue eyes, like she was waiting for something. I stammered a little, straining for the right words. Finally, they came to me. "Listen… Since you just moved here… Uh, well, do you want me to show you around some time? Maybe we could hang out some time. If you want to, I mean."

Again, she flashed that signature smile of hers. "Sure. That'd be cool. I'll see you later, ok?"

I smiled back, bigger this time. "Yeah."

"See ya."

I watched her leave. She sure was an interesting person. I was glad I met her. Even though I'd only known her for about ten minutes, I could tell that we had a lot in common. Maybe we could be friends. I smiled at the thought. _That would be pretty cool…_


	3. Chapter 2

We had the same lunch period. It was the first time I was invited to sit with someone. Of course, my stomach was twisting with hunger. I had already spent my money buying lunch for Araya. I didn't want her to worry, so I decided to suck it up and not say anything.

She smiled big and waved me over to where she was sitting. It was a small, round table seated next to a large window. Sunlight streamed through and warmed the area, but it wasn't overpowering so much that it would hurt your eyes. I sat with her and smiled. "Hey, Kat. What's up?"

She swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "Not much. Just got through another test in math, but I think I did ok."

"That's good…" I really hoped I didn't seem cold by the way I didn't pay attention. I was too hungry to focus…

She seemed concerned. "Hey… Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"Hm?" I felt my face heat up with nervousy. "Ah, um, I already ate, so I'm really not that hungry."

She tilted her head to one side. "But lunch only just started."

I looked away, trying to hide my tomato-shaded face. "W-what I meant was that I had a big breakfast, so I'll be good for the rest of the day." I looked back to see her staring at me intently, like she could tell I was lying. "N-no! Really, I'm ok! Ha ha…"

That was when my stomach growled loudly. I knew I was found out by then. It was true, I skipped breakfast because I woke up late, and now I was starting to feel nauseous from the hunger. Even still, I couldn't make her worry. I would just tough it out and eat when I got home.

Then, I noticed her set something in front of me. It was half of her turkey sandwich, along with some chips and an unopened water bottle. I looked up at her. "But won't you be hungry then?"

She smiled. "Nah, I'll be ok. Oh, here!" She took out two brownies from her lunch bag and gave them to me. "Made 'em myself! I brought extra just in case."

"Just in case what?"

Once again, I saw that goofy smile of hers. "In case you wanted any, silly! I wanted to know what you thought of them."

I looked down and accepted them carefully. She made these? And she brought them for me? That was… unexpected. And really nice. I took a bite of one. It was rich and savory, dense with a chocolaty flavor. They were really good. I swallowed and turned to her. "Actually, they're really good! Where'd you learn the recipe?"

"My mom wrote it up." She winked at me and put her finger to her lips like she was shushing me. "Family secret. You like them?"

I nodded. "Yeah! They taste amazing!"

We talked a while longer as the lunch period went on. I really liked talking with her. The way she looked at me, the way she listened to what I had to say, the way I could tell she cared… I wished she knew how much that really meant to me.

The next day, she wanted me to show her a thing or two about video games. Unfortunately, that meant meeting her in the virtual world. Unfortunate because she would see my virtual character: a fat little pig. It wasn't like I enjoyed looking the same way in the virtual world as I did in the real world, it was an avatar forced on me by none other than Araya. After spending so long working on my perfect virtual character, he took it away from me and left me with this…

Still, I couldn't turn her down. I synchronized and went over to meet her at the place we decided. I thought for sure she would laugh at me this time. She would think I was as much of a geek in the virtual world as I was at school. I would have to face total humiliation of the abandonment of a friend. It wasn't a new feeling to me, embarrassment, but that didn't mean it didn't sting any less…

Finally, I got to her. She didn't notice me at first. Her back was to me, but I knew it was her. She showed me her virtual design once before. She wore a purple dress with a cape, striped stockings and a witch's hat and held a broom in her hand. She seemed to be looking for someone. I knew that someone was me. I hid behind one of the trees. I couldn't let her see me, but I couldn't just ditch her either. I decided to summon my courage and walk over to her. I took small, timid steps as I got closer and closer. "Um… Kat?"

She turned and looked around, then down at me. She smiled and giggled a bit. "So this is the virtual form you refused to show me!"

I turned away. I knew she would laugh. I didn't want her to see the hot tears that stung my eyes. "Yeah, so?"

Her smile suddenly vanished. I guess she saw my hurt and anger. She knelt down next to me. "Haru… I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I think it's cute!"

"Sure…"

"No, really! I like it, honestly! You're just as cute here as you are in reality!"

I froze. What did she just say…? I was certain I heard her wrong. I turned to look at her. Her eyes were genuine and real. "You… think I'm cute?"

She grinned again. "Of course I do. I don't give false compliments. I honestly think you're cute, Haru. Virtual form or reality form."

I still didn't quite get it. Why was she so nice to me? Didn't she know that she was at risk of bullying by being my friend? Didn't she know that I was a waste of time to talk to? So then, why did she always seem so happy to see me?

She stood and started off. "Anyway, you promised to give me some pointers on video games, remember?"

"R-right…" I smiled as I followed after her. We laughed and talked all the way like we always did. I was never quite sure why she wanted to be my friend, but… it sure felt good to know someone was happy to see me every day.


	4. Chapter 3

After a few days, we ended up getting a snow day. This was nice. I was able to sleep in for a while. I hadn't been able to do that in a long time. It felt nice, just lying there, curled up in my cozy bed under the warm covers while the snow drifted lazily outside. It was about ten in the morning, but I really didn't care. I had no reason to get up. If I wanted to, I could just sleep all day. I had all the time in the world…

_Thump!_

Or so I thought.

I heard another _Thump! _against my window, then another. What was it? I looked over at my window to see it happen again. _Thump!_ Someone was throwing snowballs at my window. Why, I had no idea. Maybe someone was trying to get my attention for some reason? I slid my feet into my slippers and walked over, opening the window and looked around.

"Hey, Haru!"

I looked down. There stood Kat, looking up at me with that ridiculous smile of hers, dressed in a coat, boots, ear muffs, and mittens. She held a sled with one hand and waved to me with the other.

I waved back. "What are you doing here?"

"Asking you to come outside. It's snowing! We should go to the park!"

"Right now?"

"No, next Tuesday," she said sarcastically. Then she laughed aloud. "Yes right now! C'mon, get dressed! Let's go!"

I laughed too. There was no convincing her otherwise once she had her mind set on something. "Sure, ok. Give me five minutes, and I'll be right down!" I shut the window and got ready quick. I let my mom know I was leaving before I darted off, running down the stairs and out the door.

She greeted me with a smile, but then gave me a confused look. "You didn't bring a sled?"

I shook my head. "Don't have one."

She linked arms with me as we headed off towards the park. "That's ok! We'll just share then. There's a huge hill over near the park, and I bet we could go really fast! Then we can have a snowball fight and build a snowman and everything!"

I laughed as I tried to keep up with her bubbliness. "You planned this all out, huh?"

"Pfft! Who needs plans? I say we wing it!"

"Yeah, ok." I rolled my eyes and laughed. It was funny to see how easily amused she was, almost like a hamster running in a wheel, or a cat chasing a laser pointer. Really, it was more like a child in the snow. Actually, that's exactly what it was; her inner five-year-old had woken up to see it was snowing outside, and naturally wanted her friend to go with her. Now, here I was, half-dragged to the park by one arm by this bouncy schoolmate of mine who couldn't focus on one thing for more than five minutes to save her life.

Her eyes widened with delight once we'd gotten there. Not too many other people were there. I guessed that they must have thought it was too much trouble to try and get through all of this snow. Not to Kat, of course. No, she would probably have gotten there if there was a ten-foot brick wall standing in her way.

We went over to the hill she was talking about. I had seen this hill many a time before on the way home from school, but I never paid much attention to it. Maybe once or twice I thought it would be good for sledding in the back of my mind, but it never struck me the way it did her. She looked over at me with a childish sparkle in her eyes. "C'mon! Let's go!"

I laughed again. "Ok, I'm coming."

It was a pretty steep hill. We ended up crawling on our hands and knees to keep from sliding backwards into each other. Kat carried the sled with the rope around her shoulder, and I followed close behind her in case something went wrong, like if she fell back or something. I'm not really sure what I would have done. Maybe I would have made a good cushion to break her fall.

At last, we reached the top of the hill. She looked around at the park like she just reached the top of a mountain after a long climb upwards. "Ha! Sure is pretty up here, huh?"

I looked around, too. It was really pretty. On the distant end of the park, I could see a few kids playing on the snow-covered swing set. There was an older couple witting on a bench and talking. It was serene and quiet. Snow always had this property of lowering the volume wherever it fell. I liked that. It was peaceful.

She got down on her knees and set the sled in position. "Come on, you can get in front of me, ok?"

"Um, sure." I hadn't gone sledding since I was little. This brought back some good memories.

I walked over to her and sat in front of her. She put her arms around me and took the rope. I felt a chill run down my spine, even though she was so warm. She hugged me tight and close, and I felt her face nuzzled against mine. I blushed a little. This was one of the first times I had been so physically close to a girl, sitting in her lap as her arms curled snugly around my shoulders. At the same time, it wasn't uncomfortable like I thought it would be. It was like I was sitting close to an old friend.

I could feel the childlike excitement radiating from her body as we pushed off. We both held on tight as the sled nosed downwards, and our combined weight thrusted it forwards. We both let out a "Woohoo!" as gravity took us back to the ground. It was a longer drop than I thought, but it was smooth and fast. It was one of those things that would be no fun on your own, but it was much better with friends.

We hit the bottom and fell sideways, sprawled out in the snow, laughing for no apparent reason. Soon, our laughter receded to heavy panting. I looked over to see her waving her arms and legs around. I laughed again. "What are you doing?"

"Making a snow angel!" She kept on in that motion for a while, the stood up to marvel at her masterpiece. "I dub thee… Lady of the Snow!"

I gave her a funny look. "You name your snow angels?"

"Sure! Don't you name yours?"

"If I did, I'd name him…"

"Gladiator!"

This warded another laugh and a curious expression from me. "Why?"

"Because it sounds cool!"

"Ok, then. Next time I make a snow angel, I'll name him 'Gladiator',"

We looked around for a little while longer. The snowflakes grew larger and heavier, bonding together and making a cold, white blanket over whatever they landed on. It was a pretty sight. She continued to marvel around like a little kid, and even tried to catch a few on her tongue. I followed along, catching a few in my mouth. They melted away instantly, like tiny shreds of frozen clouds.

Suddenly, I was impacted with a cold force. I looked over to see Kat holding a snowball and laughing. "Got you, Haru!"

"Oh, yeah? Not for long!" I knelt down and started making snowballs of my own.

She squealed and ran, trying to find a place to hide as I built up my snowy armory. We continued on like that, exchanging snowballs and running around like little kids, trying to land a hit on the other opponent. Her aim was terrible, and she wasn't very fast, but I wasn't much better. Still, we went on enjoying the moments we had together, building snowmen and making as many snow angels to fill the park (the first of which I named "Gladiator", as I promised her). I was able to enjoy a day, for the first time in a long time, with someone who I didn't have to worry about weighing down or bothering. I was able to forget about everything for a day; about school, about Araya, about how much I wanted to change the way I looked or anything like that… I finally had a friend who I could be with and not worry about anything or anyone else.

Towards the end of the day, when the snowflakes were thinning out and our footprints and snow angels were left all over the park, we laid there in the snow next to each other, looking up at the blank sky. After a few drowsy minutes, she rolled on her side and looked at me. "Hey, Haru?"

I turned my head to see her. "Hm?"

"Do you think… we could be like this forever? Friends?"

I felt a warm feeling envelope my chest at her words. Friends forever… the two of us… A world where I found my escape. I smiled widely. "Definitely."

She returned the smile, and we both went back to watching the sky.

_ Friends forever._


	5. Chapter 4

We spent the rest of the winter like that, just being friends and hanging out together. She even came to my place a few times after school. We never did anything extravagant, mostly we just enjoyed one another's company, be it playing video games or running around outside in the snow. I loved being with her. I loved seeing her every day. Even though I had only known her for a few months, it felt like I had known her all my life. We shared our secrets, our fears, and our feelings. Truly, she was my best friend.

With spring came climate change. I mean that in more than one way.

We walked to third period together, since our classes were right across the hall from each other. She seemed distracted, almost spacey. Not the ADHD kind of spacey like I would usually expect from her. It was almost a sleepy kind of spacey, like she was unaware of what was happening around her.

We were halfway to class, when I noticed her stop and lean on the wall. I looked back at her. Now that I got a good look at her face, she looked really pale, and it was like it was taking a lot of effort just to stay upright. "Hey, Kat, you don't look so good… Are you feeling ok?"

She nodded and tried to smile, but it was obvious how tired she was. "Yeah… Just need some… water or…"

"Kat?"

"…"

"Hey, Kat, can you— Whoa!" I caught her as she started sliding down the wall. She was going limp in my arms, and her body was so cold. I tried my best not to panic as I tried to get her to come back around. "Hey, Kat! Stay with me here, ok? Can you hear me?"

"Haru…" Her voice quavered. She was getting weak. "N-not feeling well…" She couldn't hold on any longer. I tried not to drop her as her weight fell onto me while I tried desperately to hold her up, trying to get her to come back around. I hardly noticed the crowd of students surrounding us as I gently laid her back, going through what I learned in health class. Her breathing was slight, her pulse was weak, and her skin was still cold and a sickly pale. My mind was nearly frozen. What did this mean? Bad circulation? Why was this happening?! I felt my heart beat faster and harder as I heard someone shout for a nurse. I couldn't hold back as tears of fear streamed down my face and I held her close. What was happening to my friend?!

I felt one of the teachers put a hand on my shoulder. "Haru, what—"

"Don't touch her!" I said that out of instinct, holding her limp body close to mine. I was so afraid to lose her.

The teacher understood, I guess. He knelt down next to me as the nurse came and gently pulled Kat away from me while the administrators cleared the hallway out. He helped me to my feet. I stepped back, watching as they tried in vain to get a response. An ambulance was called. I watched helplessly as they took her away. My mind was totally numb. I wanted to throw up. What was happening to Kat?

* * *

I couldn't focus the rest of the day. Who would after going through something like that? I couldn't stop thinking about her. Was she ok? Was she sick? Was she hurt? What was happening back at the hospital? It was driving me crazy, not knowing. I wanted to see her. I wanted to talk to her.

I visited her place after school. I remembered her address, since she gave it to me once before when I stopped by to pick her up for something or other. She lived in one of the nearby apartment buildings. I didn't have the patience to wait for the elevator, so I went up the stairs to the room she lived in. I knocked twice, then waited a while for someone to answer.

I was met by a little old lady with thick glasses and her hair tied into a bun, not much shorter than myself. I guess she must have been suspicious of me, because she flew into a frenzy of hasty questions. "Who are you? What do you want? Are you here to take a census or something? We're not interested in anything you're selling! Go away!"

At first, I thought I might have the wrong address, but I wanted to make sure first. It was for Kat, after all. "Um, my name is Haru. I was looking for a Miss Kathryn Kole. Does she live around here?"

That was when she hit me on the head with an umbrella. "Ouch! Hey, what do you—?"

"You ask too many questions! What do you want with my granddaughter?! If you don't leave, I'll—!"

I heard a voice from in the apartment. "Gramma, it's ok! He's a friend of mine. You can let him in."

She gave me a sharp glare through her glasses, then stood aside and let me in. I thanked her sheepishly and kept my distance, for fear she might hit me again with her umbrella or bite my head off or something.

I glanced back to see her glaring at me still as I entered the apartment. There was something generally unsettling about that crazy old woman, yet it was that craziness that made it clear that she was definitely a relative of Kat's. _Maybe that's where she gets it from,_ I thought.

I walked into the living room to see her lying on the couch, dressed in clothes comfortable enough to sleep in and covered with a fuzzy blanket. Her color looked better from before. She smiled at me. "Hey, Haru."

I sat with her on the couch near her feet. "Hey. I wanted to come check on you. Are you ok?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I know it must have scared you…"

"Hang on, you're apologizing for passing out? What, it's not like you woke up this morning and said, 'I think I'll go to school and black out in front of everyone today and scare the living crap out of my best friend. Yup, sounds like a plan!'"

She laughed. It was good to hear her laugh. It let me know she was ok.

I laughed along with her. "Seriously, though, no need to apologize. Sure, I was worried, but I just wanted to make sure you were ok, that's all."

She looked at me with those big blue eyes of hers. "Thanks. Really."

"It's no problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

She nodded again, slowly this time. "Right."

"So… I mean, uh, did they find out what's wrong?"

She curled up a little. "I have a weak heart. It kinda runs in the family."

"Oh… Will you be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need rest, that's all."

Her grandmother came into the room with a tray of tea and sweets. "Gets it from her father's side. It's one of those 'genetic' things." She set the tray down on the coffee table next to us. "Thought you two might like a snack."

"Thanks, Gramma." Kat said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kole."

"Actually, it's 'Takara'," she corrected, "I'm her mother's mother."

Kat smiled. "Yeah. Mom was half Japanese. Gramma's that half."

"Yeah, yeah. More genetics." Mrs. Takara left for the kitchen. "I'll get started on dinner. Would you like to eat with us, Haru?"

This was quite a contrast from the elderly woman I first met. "I don't want to impose…"

Kat tugged playfully on my sleeve. "Oh, don't be like that! You can stay if you want. Unless you're allergic to chicken, that is."

I couldn't say no to her, especially when she was in this condition. "No, that sounds fine. Mom's gone for a few days on a trip, so I don't think she would mind if I stay for a while."

She hugged me. "Yay!"

I couldn't help but laugh again. She was a funny girl, always making me laugh. I saw her grandmother in the kitchen preparing dinner. "So, your grandma…"

She giggled. "Yeah, she's something else. Sorry about before. She's not so good with first impressions."

I agreed, but it would sound rude to say it. "No, I think she's nice."

"I'm glad. I was afraid she might have scared you away." She hugged her knees to her chest. "She was the one who took me in when I lost my parents in a car crash…"

"Oh… I'm sorry." I really didn't know what to say to that. I guessed that must have been why she came to Japan. Her Grandmother must have been the only one qualified to take her in, or maybe even the only one who _wanted_ to take her. I didn't ask, though. I figured it would be a sensitive topic.

She looked back up at me. "It's ok, really. I didn't have too many friends back in America anyway. Besides," She grinned at me again, "I met you here, didn't I?"

"Yeah." That warm feeling came back to my chest. "And I met you."

We talked a while longer, and I ended up staying for dinner after all. As I got to know her grandmother more, she seemed less scary. Actually, she ended up to be a pretty nice lady with a good sense of humor, and good at cooking, too. I felt comfortable there. I felt wanted. I loved being around Kat and her family. I hoped she would get better soon.


	6. Chapter 5

Kat ended up staying home from school for the next week. The doctors didn't want her overexerting herself in case she passed out again, or… worse. I came to visit her every day after school. I didn't want her to be lonely, especially since I knew she didn't have any friends who would come by to see her anyway.

Her grandmother became less and less scary to me. I guess we started to warm up to each other.

While spending time with Kat, I found something else we both had in common: we both had an appreciation for the early twenty-first century. I found this out when I was directed up to her room with some video games in hand for us to play. I heard some music that I didn't recognize playing. I peeked in to see her writing in a journal of some sort and listening to it. She looked up at me and smiled. "Hey, Haru! You can come in if you want to."

I entered and sat on the bed with her. "Hey. What are you listening to?"

She grinned widely. "Have you ever heard of a band called 'Relient K' from the twenty-first century?"

I shook my head. "No."

She pulled out an old box of CD's. "Not too many have, but they were popular back then."

I peeked into the box. There were all sorts of western bands and singers from the twenty-first century: Death Cab for Cutie, Owl City, Superchick, even some from the 1980's and 90's like Van Halen and Kenny Loggins. I remembered hearing about some of them in history class, but most of them I didn't recognize. I pulled one CD case out that caught my attention. "What's this?"

Her face lit up. "Oh! That's one of the best! It's a hard rock band called 'Skillet'. This is their album 'Monster'. Wanna listen to it?"

I decided to humor her. Besides, I was curious. "Sure."

She took out the Relient K CD and replaced it with the one entitled "Skillet: Monster." She skipped to one of the later songs. "This is the song they named the album after. It's one of my favorites!"

I listened as the bass guitar played loudly, followed soon after by the vocals. The rhythm of the drums picked up, and I found myself nodding to the pronounced beat along with Kat.

She was really getting into it, rocking an air guitar as if she were playing the song. I laughed and we turned up the volume. She started lip synching and I just kept nodding to the beat. I had to admit, I really liked it too. It wasn't like the music they usually played today. It was like Kat: wild and expressive. Kat sang along as the chorus started.

In the midst of the fast pace and the loud instruments, I could hear her voice. It was deep and rich, absolutely beautiful. By the second chorus, we were both head-banging and rocking air guitar and singing along! I listened her sing the bridge.

The chorus got softer, and we both sang along with the tone, singing at the top of our lungs when the last line hit!

We had a ball like that. I messed up some of the words, which made her laugh. I laughed too. The music played louder and louder, and we just kept having a blast! We didn't have to worry about what people thought of us. We could just be us two, goofing off and listening to music from more than a hundred years ago.

The song ended, and we both fell back onto her bed, laughing and breathing heavily from the lyrics we cried out from the pit of our chests. She looked over at me. "Hey, you're not half bad at the air guitar!"

"Thanks! And your lip synching was phenomenal!" I joked back.

She sat up, still catching her breath. She noticed the bag I had set beside the door earlier. "Hey, what's that?"

"Hm? Oh, some games I brought by in case you wanted to play some."

Her face brightened. "Sure!"

I handed her the bag. "Ok, you want to pick one out?"

"Ok! Eenie meenie miney…" She rummaged through a bit, until she came to a game that caught her attention. "Hey, what's this?"

I froze. I felt my face go completely white. I never meant for it to get in there! In her hand, she held one of the M-rated zombie games from 2010 I kept hidden in my room! I thought I had been so careful to keep those separate! I took it from her hand and hid it in my jacket. "I-it's nothing! Nothing at all! J-just forget you saw it!"

She seemed curious still. She smiled slyly. "Haru, tell me… Are you ticklish?"

"Huh? What do you— Ack!" Before I could defend myself, she started tickling me in the ribcage, attempting to steal another look at the game case! I tried my best to keep my grip, but she wouldn't let up! "Ahahaha! Kat! Stahahap!"

While my guard was down, she reached around and took the game from my jacket. "No, wait! It's not—!"

Her eyes widened. "No way! 'Black OP's 2?!"

I felt my face heat up. I figured she would be surprised I was into that sort of stuff. "Uh-huh…"

"Dude, no way! Where did you get this?! They stopped making zombie games, like, decades ago! How did you find this?!"

I looked up in surprise. She was excited about this? I admit, I was still really embarrassed that she saw that, but I was relieved that she didn't think different of me. "I found it online at a cheap price and went for it. Why, did you want to play it?"

"Are you sure?" she said, "It's only a one-player game."

I smiled a little. "Sure, we can take turns. I'll teach you how to play."

She smiled back. "I'd like that!"

So, we spent the day like that just hanging out. I loved being around her. I felt like I could tell her anything. She was one of my closest friends. I had only known her for a while, but…

It felt like I knew her all my life.


	7. Chapter 6

It was a few days later when I found myself walking to Kat's apartment once again. I couldn't stop thinking about my last conversation with her…

_She asked me to sit with her and her grandmother at their little kitchen table. I could tell by the expression on her face she was upset, but I couldn't tell what… Looking back, it feels like it should have been obvious. I reached across the table and placed a hand on her arm. _

_ "Kat? What's wrong?"_

_ She glanced up at me only once. That was the only eye contact I had with her the entire conversation. Her eyes were red, like she was exhausted from crying. Her grandmother sat beside her and slid a piece of paper across to me. It looked like a medical report. I picked it up and began reading it…_

_ My blood ran cold. I didn't understand all of the medical jargon, but there was one thing I did understand:_

_ Kat needed surgery. A heart transplant to be exact._

_ Unfortunately, she had a rare blood type, and there was no telling when they would get a heart for her in time, or if she would even survive they surgery by the time they found one. One thing was for certain: my friend was dying, and if she didn't get the attention she needed…_

_ I looked up to see Kat crying quietly, her face buried into her hands. I felt tears come to my eyes as well, but I wanted to be strong for her… I came next to her and gently pressed a hand against her back. She responded by turning quickly and embracing me, her tears soaking onto my shoulder. I held her like that for a while. She kept whispering apologies between sobs. I didn't know what to say… All I could think to do was just hold her and gently rub her back while she cried, telling her she had nothing to be sorry for. Her grandmother held her hand. We were all silent, save for the occasional sniffle or hiccup coming from Kat. I felt so numb. Here I thought she would get better. I couldn't believe it…_

I wanted to take her out at least once before she had to be hospitalized. The cherry blossoms were in bloom this time of year. Though where we lived was mostly city area, there was a park a few blocks south for the cherry trees. I decided I'd take her to see them before they faded again. I walked upstairs to that familiar apartment and knocked on the door. Her grandmother answered with (to my surprise) a sweet smile on her face. "Well, hello, Haru! I assume you're here to see Kat?"

It was a bit strange in a way to be greeted so kindly by her, but it didn't feel as bad as being whacked in the head with an umbrella. I returned her smile. "Yes. Is she ready?"

She stepped back to let me in. "She's just finding a jacket."

I thanked her and entered, looking back for Kat. She was in her room, slipping her arms into a pink sweatshirt. Even in nice weather like this, she got cold easily with such poor circulation. She zipped it up and smiled at me. "Ready?"

I smiled and nodded. "Whenever you are."

Kat grabbed a basket with a packed lunch for the both of us. She followed me out, only to be stopped by her grandma. "Kathryn! You remember what the doctor told you."

She cringed a bit, then sighed. "Gramma…"

Ms. Takara remained adamant. "You need to keep your strength up. The doctor said—"

"I know, I know…"

That's when I remembered her doctor wanted her in a wheelchair whenever she went out. He said too much stress could easily cause her to collapse again. I walked back with her and helped her into the chair as the lunch was placed into her lap. She looked up at me, her face slightly pink with embarrassment. "I'm really sorry about this…"

I smiled as I took the handles, pushing her out the door. "It's fine. You just sit back and enjoy the ride, ok?"

She chuckled and rested her head back. "Whatever you say."

Her grandmother waved goodbye. "Remember to be back on time."

She waved back. "Yeah, I got it."

We took the elevator down to the first floor and I wheeled her outside and down the sidewalk. There was a nice breeze that day, and it was relatively warm. I was glad Kat and I could get out for a while. We chattered for a while about this and that. I wanted to keep her mind off of things like the surgery, and the fact that she would be confined to a hospital bed by tomorrow… I knew she would hate that. She loved to move around and be active. Laying there all day with nothing to do would be near torture for her.

She sighed. "I never thought I'd say it, but I kinda miss school."

I laughed. "You miss sitting in a classroom for hours and hours, only to come home with more work to do?"

She laughed, too. "No, I mean, I just miss being able to feel like I was doing something important. Nowadays, I'm just lying around like a bump on a pickle." She crossed her arms and pouted a bit.

I sighed. She could be so childish sometimes, but it was refreshing in a way. I didn't have to worry about keeping up with her in terms of maturity or things like that. Keeping up with her energy was another thing, even while she was sitting in a wheelchair.

The cherry blossoms were beautiful. The air smelled and almost tasted sweet as the pink petals drifted lazily in the breeze. We strolled through, gazing around at the flowers. They were a light pink shade. I patted Kat on the shoulder as we kept walking. "Hey, they match your jacket!"

She giggled quietly. "Yeah, I guess they do. I'm glad I picked this one out then!" She looked over, pointed at something. "Hey, Haru! Look over there! Isn't it pretty?"

I followed her gesture to a tree by the water. Sunlight was streaming through the petals and reflecting off the water. "Wow… that is really pretty! Hey, do you want to have lunch over there then?"

She nodded. "Sure, ok."

I pushed her wheelchair over and parked it under the tree, helping her out of it and sitting her down gently in the shade. She looked a little guilty. "Ah, I'm sorry… it seems like I'm relying on you for everything…"

I sat with her and opened the basket. "No, you're not. I'm helping you because we're friends, and that's what friends do."

She rested back on the tree behind us. "You sound like a greeting card when you say it like that."

I rested back with her and got out two sandwiches, one for each of us. "Yeah, I guess…"

She thanked me and accepted her lunch, looking out at the small lake and taking a bite. She gave a satisfied sigh. "It seems like everything tastes better when you're hungry, right?"

I swallowed the bite I was chewing on and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Like those brownies you made a few months ago, the ones you shared with me at lunch."

She gave me a curious look. "You still remember that?"

I smiled. "Sure I do! They were really good. And I still think it was nice of you to think of me like that."

She punched my arm playfully. "Well, I'm glad you liked them. Maybe I'll make some more some time."

"And I could help," I offered.

She waved a finger like she was mock-scolding me. "Nah-uh! Family recipe, remember? It's a secret!"

I took another bite and laughed again. "Right, I forgot."

She looked up at the flowery branches above. "You know, I've always wanted to come to Japan to see the cherry blossoms."

I looked at her. "But you said you lived near D.C. before, right? Don't they have cherry blossoms there?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, and they're really pretty too. I just wanted to see what they look like over here. They were a gift to America from Japan, after all. This is their native land. I dunno… Something about that strikes me as interesting."

I sat back again and looked up with her. "I guess… Do they look any different over in America?"

"Hmm… Nope, not really."

The day went by lazily, but enjoyably. We sat there, enjoying each other's company, having lunch in the park beneath the cherry blossoms. The thought hit me that cherry blossoms only come a certain time of the year, and then you never see them again until the next year. I thought of Kat like the cherry blossoms; a friend like her only comes every so often. I wanted to enjoy the time I had with her, because, like the blossoms giving shade above us, I only had a limited amount of time with her.

If only she would be able to see them again next year…


	8. Chapter 7

**I really hope you all can forgive me for the huge wait! I just got done a killer summer semester that took up all my time and energy... T-T But now, I'm back! Thank you all for your patience while I'm gone! Expect updates in my other stories as soon as I can! ;3**

The next few days, and she was confined to a hospital room. I figured I'd surprise her with a visit, since she would be bored out of her brain just lying there. I brought some lunch too, since everyone knows hospital food is so bland it makes you depressed to eat it. The hospital had internet, so I figured we could play a few virtual games together. After walking up to the receptionist desk and finding her room number, I made my way over to say hi.

I peeked in to see her laying on the bed. She was flipping through the channels of het TV with a blank expression on her face. Boredom and lonliness seemed to be taking over. Two steps in and she turned to see me, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Haru! Man, am I glad to see you!"

I pulled up a chair and sat at her bedside. "Hey, Kat. I figured you might want some company while you were here."

She flopped back on her bed and groaned comically. "You have no idea how boooring it is in here! The nurse won't lemme do squat!"

I couldn't help but laugh. It was the same old Kat after all. Sometimes, I forgot we had only known each other for less than a year. "Well, hopefully I can help that. Oh, did you eat lunch yet?"

She shook her head. "No. They want me to eat soon, though. But you know how hospital food is…"

That's when I smiled and took out my bag. "Which is why I made lunch. It isn't much, but—"

"Haru, _anything_ sounds better than cafeteria macaroni and cheese. Again."

"So, tuna sandwiches sounds good?"

"Heavenly."

I gave her a sandwich to start with, as well as taking one out for myself. I took a bite and realized I could have gone easier on the mayo, but Kat seemed to like it just fine. We talked a while longer about this and that. I told her that the end of the school year was coming up, and everyone's getting ready for next year already. She laughed and said if she was still in school, she would just be glad it was over and not even think about the year after. I asked her how things were in the hospital, and she told me how her grandmother nearly wrestled one of the nurses to the ground after screwing up her IV. I responded by saying I could picture her doing that. Not just because it was a common thing to say, that woman could be deadly with her umbrella.

After we ate, she sat up straight like she remembered something. "Oh, Haru! I almost forgot, there's a game I wanted to show you. I really got a kick out of it, and I figured you would too. You wanna give it a shot?"

I tilted my head a little. She was always the least bit random that way. "Sure. What's it called?"

She smiled. "Have you ever heard of a game called 'super squash'?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm guessing that's the one you want to show me?"

She nodded. "Yup! You wanna give it a shot?"

I figured she must be tired of playing alone, so I agreed. "Sure."

We both synchronized again into our virtual characters, her as a cute little witch and me as my pig character. She guided me to an area with the name of the game she described earlier: super squash. We walked inside and she signed in. "I'll play first and give you a demo. Sound cool?"

I nodded. "Yup."

"Ok." She grabbed something that looked like a tennis racquet and walked over to the room. "It's sort of like playing a game of tennis with yourself, only _way_, way faster."

"Faster?" I asked.

She only smiled. "You'll see." I watched as a small yellow ball popped up from the ground. She threw the ball into the air like she was serving in a game, and hit it against the bright purple walls. It made a computerized "ping!" noise as it ricocheted off three of the walls, then sped back for her. She hit it with a back-handed motion, sending it back along the walls. She jumped up and did her best to keep up with the ball, moving like lightning to get to it before it went past her. I found myself really getting into it. My heart nearly stopped every time it hit the wall and came back to her. Point by point, her score rose. By the look on her face, I could tell she was in love with the feeling it gave her. She could go as fast as she wanted without worrying about hurting herself from her condition. Even though it was a simple game, it gave her a lot.

Finally, a misjudgment in her swing cost her the round. Her final score was one-hundred and fifty-four points. I went over to congratulate her. "That was really good, Kat! You were amazing!"

She blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks, but it wasn't that good. There are other players with scores way higher than mine."

We both looked at the score board to see she was right. She didn't care, though. She was just having fun moving all over the place like that. Typical Kat.

She handed me the racquet. "Your turn!"

I took the racquet and walked over, signing in as a new character. I waited a moment as it loaded my name. Soon, a little yellow ball popped up from the ground. I slammed it with the strings of the racquet, sending it into the walls the way Kat did. I was shocked when it hit the ceiling, the back wall, the floor, and came flying back towards me. I panicked and swatted at it again, and it bounced around off the walls. It took a bit longer this time, giving me a chance to think before I hit it again.

I could hear Kat cheering for me. "Go, Haru! You can do it!"

I felt a smile cross my lips as I hit the ball again. As things started speeding up, I found myself loving it even more. As the ball veered off way to the left, I ran as fast as I could to catch up with it. I just barely missed it, hitting it back at the last second. I could hear Kat cheering for me again.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. It looked like the ball was going right, when it hit the adjacent wall and flew off to the left again. My final score was sixty-four.

Kat patted me on the shoulder. "Not bad for a beginner. My first score was twenty-three!"

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Kat."

After a few more games, we walked back out again. She sat down at a table near the café. "Hey, are you ok if we stay here a while longer?"

I nodded. "Sure. It must be lonely sitting in bed all day, huh?"

She nodded slowly, a look of sadness flickering across her face. "I just feel so useless… I feel like I've been a burden to Gramma ever since I came over here… I guess here, when I'm running around and stuff, I can forget about reality for a while, you know?"

I smiled. I knew exactly how she felt, using games like this to try and create a new reality for yourself. "Yeah…"

She broke eye contact suddenly. "Sorry, I guess I said too much… I don't want to be a downer."

I shook my head. "No, you're fine! I mean, that's what friends are for, right? Telling each other our problems and things like that."

She looked back again with a smile. "Yeah, you're right. You're really easy to talk to, you know that?"

"Thanks," I responded, "it's the least I can do, I guess.'

She stood and tugged on my arm a bit. "C'mon! Let's go play some more games while we're here."

I stood with her. "That's fine with me. I know some new ones that just opened up. I've read some pretty good reviews about them. You want to check 'em out?"

She jokingly saluted like a sailor. "Lead the way!"


	9. Chapter 8

The days went on like that. Kat and I often spent time in the virtual world, seeing as she was steadily losing her energy in reality. Neither of us pointed it out, though. I think she was trying to hide it from me. She was trying to be strong for me. It's odd to look back on it now. Here she was, a pale, slender little figure lying in bed losing her strength with each day, and she was the one trying to be strong for me. Strange, isn't it?

I remember one of my last days with her. The hospital had given her a radio to listen to music while she was laid up in bed a while back, but we didn't pay much attention to it before. Sometimes, we listened in to see if anything interesting was playing, or if there was a song we both recognized, but mostly it was just background noise to fill the silence between topics.

That day, Kat looked over at me. It was almost scary to see how pale she'd gotten. "Haru… Can I ask you something?"

I had to listen a little closer than usual. Her voice was so unusually quiet. "Sure, Kat. What's up?"

She smiled. "Have you ever been to a dance? Or a party?"

In truth, I haven't. Unless you counted birthday parties with my friends, but I don't think that's what she meant. I shook my head. "No, why?"

She looked at the ceiling. "Neither have I… I was just wondering what it was like. You know, to dance with someone." She laughed a bit. "Just something I'd want to experience… Just to know what it feels like, at least once. You know?"

I nodded. I kind of figured what she was getting at. To dance with her… But I wanted to make it special for her. I looked around. This hospital room was a bit dreary… Particularly for Kat after she'd spent so long in it. She wanted to be outside, I could tell that without her saying it. That's when I had the idea. "Hey, Kat. What do you say you and I take a little trip?"

She looked at me in slight surprise. "To where?"

"You'll see," I responded with a smile. "It's a surprise."

She smiled back and nodded. "Ok. I trust you."

I unscrewed the port connecting her wrist to the IV. I didn't want to risk her being too weak to walk all the way, so I helped her into a wheelchair, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. I took her down the hall and to the elevator, pushing a button to go up. Kat looked at me in confusion. "Haru, where are you taking me?"

I laughed. "I told you, it's a surprise!" I watched the numbers above the door go up. I was a little nervous. I really hoped she liked it…

She shook her head comically and leaned her head back on the head rest of the wheelchair. After a few moments of waiting, we reached our destination: the roof.

Kat breathed a sigh of pleasure as the warm sunlight hit her face. "Haru… It's beautiful up here!"

I smiled. "I heard the weather was supposed to be nice. I'm glad the forecast was right." I pulled a cable out from my pocket, blushing slightly. "But… this isn't the surprise."

She looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. "Then what is?"

I plugged one end into my nerolink, taking a deep breath as I walked around in front of her. Taking the other end, Kat plugged it in. I chose a selection of music from my folder, a slower song so she could keep up, but nothing romantic. Her eyes widened a bit. I could tell she was starting to catch onto what I was doing.

My face must have been red as a tomato as I held my hand out to her. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Would you care to dance?"

Kat had her hand over her mouth, nearly in tears. I pulled my hand away, afraid I upset her, or that she was hurting somewhere. "Is… Is something wrong?"

She leaned out of the wheelchair, suddenly wrapping her arms around me. "Haru… This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!"

My face only reddened as I held her back. "I'm glad you're happy, Kat." I slowly helped her out of the wheelchair and onto her feet. Slowly positioning myself, I held her waist with one hand, taking her hand with the other. I broke eye contact for a moment as we took a step together, then another, and another. We were dancing.

Kat smiled, giggling a bit. "Haru, you're so bashful. You'll hardly look at me!"

I looked up at her suddenly. "N-no… It's just…" I swallowed hard. "I've never danced with a girl before."

I noticed her cheeks turn pink. "That's ok. I've never danced with a boy before. It's kinda nice."

The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile as I looked away again. "Yeah… It is."

We kept dancing for a while. We talked about school and home and things like that. I always thought I wouldn't know what to say to someone who was dying. Looking back, I noticed that I really didn't know what to say. It was all Kat. She always knew what to say to keep the conversation going. Sometimes, I forgot we were even in a hospital. At those times, it was just like a casual chat at the lunch table, or in class, or even at her place while her crazy grandmother made cookies. She just had that hospitable air around her. No matter the circumstance, she could make people feel welcome and comfortable. Like they had a place to belong. I never understood why she didn't have more friends. In my opinion, those jerks were just missing out.

She just kept smiling and laughing through the conversation. She was so cheerful. I had hoped my surprise meant something.

I was so happy this meant at least that much to her. I looked at her again. "Kat? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she answered, "Fire away."

"Being up here with me… Was this a good surprise?"

She smiled and hugged me gently as we still moved to the rhythm. "I couldn't ask for a better one."

I was a little surprised at the affectionate gesture, but still I held her back. We were quiet a moment, still dancing like that. I wanted this to last just a bit longer… I wanted to spend more time with her. I had only known her for a short while… Did she feel that way too? Did she feel that it was unfair that her life had been cut short by an illness?

I don't think so. If she did, she didn't show it. I knew she was scared at first, scared she wouldn't last much longer. But now, I think she accepted it. I think she learned to enjoy the time she was given here, no matter how short it was. We chattered a bit as we continued our little waltz. I stepped on her feet now and again, apologizing franticly afterwards. She would only laugh and say it was no big deal, and that it didn't hurt.

We danced through a few songs like that. I noticed Kat getting sort of tired. I stopped. "Maybe we should get you back down to your room."

She nodded sluggishly. "I… guess so…"

She had that familiar glazed look in her eyes. My heart froze as my mind flashed back to that day in school when she passed out in the hallway. "Kat? Are you feeling ok?"

She didn't answer at first, gazing off over the roof at the city below. I saw the faintest smile appear on her face. She held my hand. "Haru…"

"Yeah?"

She closed her eyes. "Thank you so much…" And just like that, she went limp. Her body collapsed to the ground.

"KAT!" I knelt down beside her. "No… No no no! Kat, can you hear me?!" I held her body in my arms, trying not to panic. "Stay with me!" I pulled her back into her wheelchair, taking her back down to get help. Was this my fault? Would this have happened if I didn't take her out of her room? I choked back panic as I ran her down the hall and got the nurse's help, holding her by the shoulders and trying to keep her unconscious form from sliding out of the wheelchair.

As the nurse took her away, I stood there watching, my mind still stuck on that day at school. I was helpless. I couldn't do anything to help her… I could only stand there and watch the doctors rush her back into her room to see what was wrong.

Though, as they took her away, I caught a glimpse of her face before she disappeared behind the door of her room.

I could have sworn she was still smiling.


End file.
